To my T'hy'la
by All-Knowing Alien 2
Summary: Inspired when researching the origins of Valentine's Day, though I'll admit it's late. Dedicated to Peachly. K/S slash, with a hopefully believable Spock POV.


My first foray into the Star Trek fandom, though since it is by no means my first foray into fanfiction (or even slash fanfiction), I will not ask that you be gentle with me.

It'd definitely be appreciated, though.

Yes, I'm a new Star Trek fan, although I always knew about the Vulcan hand sign and 'Live long and prosper'. Initially it was Star Trek 2009, but I've fallen in love with TOS as well. As soon as I can get a hold of the DVDs; youtube is a little too tiring.

But! That is not what this fic is for – my ramblings are of no consequence! This is dedicated to the lovely Peachly, who inspired this, and who recently wrote a Valentine's Day themed chapter in her story, _That would be illogical_. A must read.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek, in any way, shape or form.

Warning: Slash, though I think I implied that quite efficiently in the first sentence above.

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Spock was, by nature, a highly perceptive individual. You could not make logical observations if you did not first have as many details as possible. Being Vulcan (and he was Vulcan, because he was raised so, despite any and all allusions to the fact that he was half-human) was an added bonus, as these details could be coolly and logically cross-referenced with other facts to come to the best conclusion, without the distraction of emotions humans and other such life forms were frequently subject to.

As he calculated the increase in speed of the _Enterprise_ after Scotty's latest improvement to the warp drive and designed a simulation exercise as per Dr. McCoy's request, Spock recalled that it would soon be February the fourteenth. Nyota had previously explained to him the significance of the date, but as she had had no particular interest in celebrating it, that had been the only instance in which Valentine's Day had been discussed.

However, the Captain – Jim, he corrected mentally, as he typed in the correct amount of time it would take to reach their destination (which was, by the by, almost two thirds what it would have been prior to the Chief Engineer's tinkering) – had been dropping hints.

Valentine's Day, Spock decided, was as irrational as Christmas. Oh, yes, Spock knew about Christmas. His mother – and he ruthlessly suppressed the flare of pain there, to be shared in a more private setting – had mentioned it to him once. And, of course, there were his years in Starfleet. One did not miss the increase in excitement, coupled with the festive colours of green and red, as well as the wasteful exchange of gifts during the December holidays, even if one was fully human.

Despite having left Starfleet Academy almost three years ago and taking up the mantle of First Officer, he still had to endure illogical human celebrations. (It was not odd that those two terms were so often connected; humans were naturally illogical, as they were governed by emotion, not logic. The Captain was a prime example of this, though if Spock allowed himself to feel grateful for it, he would have been.) He would have rather spent his time doing something more constructive, but the C – Jim – was particularly insistent when it came to such things.

"C'mon, Spock! I mean, I can understand not wanting to celebrate your birthday" – and here Spock had raised an eyebrow, correctly deducing that the blond-haired Captain had pulled up his Starfleet records solely for that information – "but _Christmas_? I'm not allowing that."

Even now, Spock could not wrap his head around the importance placed on a single day, and he had said, "Captain, I am quite confident that most of the _Enterprise_ do not belong to the Christian or Catholic religion, and therefore do not celebrate Christmas –"

"I told you to call me Jim, Spock. And anyway, it's not the religion aspect that's important, it's just – it's more tradition."

"As I understand it, _Jim_, it is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, which is not verified, seeing as it also was a pagan festivity –"

Jim had held up both his hands, causing Spock to stop midsentence. "Look, Spock," he'd said softly, laying a hand on his First Officer's arm. "I'm not saying that everyone on the _Enterprise_ is a believer. It's just that we need something to look forward to. It's one party, that's all."

And because he was so observant, Spock had caught the ache in the Captain's blue eyes and the tightening of his mouth when he'd said 'we', and he knew that he'd meant 'I'. Even though it had been in no way his fault, Jim took the deaths of the six crewmembers as his personal failing. The conclusion Spock came up with was that Jim needed a distraction from that, and, to a lesser degree, so too did the rest of the crew.

"Very well, Jim," he'd said, and only in the privacy of his thoughts would Spock acknowledge that the smile Kirk had given him warmed him from within. (He blamed that particular metaphor on the fiction Chekov had tried to introduce him to. It had not been an ineffectual attempt, not that Spock would admit it.) That smile was also responsible for him staying by the Captain's side the whole night of the Christmas party, that year and the next.

Spock drew out of his meanderings and duly alerted Sulu to divert their course accordingly, seeing as the ship's sensors had picked up on an asteroid. It was not so large an asteroid as to cause significant damage, but it was, as he'd heard several humans say, 'better to be safe than sorry'. One of the more logical sayings.

Sulu acknowledged the information, and Spock went back to the parameters of the simulation. Although there was no official commemoration of Valentine's Day, it was a day that was acknowledged by (most of) the crew. This was done by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). As flowers were not often available, this was the least likely among the three choices.

Another interesting occurrence tied with Valentine's Day would be wedding ceremonies. Jim was equally flustered every time he was asked to marry crewmembers – although Spock could not understand why – but out of the six times, five were on the fourteenth of February. (The sixth marriage happened on Christmas Eve, but that was rather inconsequential. Also irrelevant to the storyline is the fact that two of those marriages were severed within two months, which further proved to Spock why emotion had to be kept in check. Sometimes.)

"Sir? I'm here to relieve you."

"Very good, Lieutenant," Spock said, quickly sending the file he had been working on to his personal PADD, to be fine-tuned before he rested. He rose to his feet, allowing the Lieutenant to seat herself, then strode over to the turbolift.

Although he had not expected it, Spock was not wholly surprised to find the Captain in his quarters. He was still unused to the way Jim's face would light up upon seeing Spock, but it would be...inaccurate to say that he disliked it. He allowed Jim to walk up to him and tuck his head under his chin. Jim sighed, and Spock could feel his smile against his neck.

"Have you eaten, Jim?"

His reply was a hum of contentment, and Spock felt amused in spite of himself, deciding to take it as a "Yes". He blamed his previous contemplation of Valentine's Day for the way he took both of Jim's hands in his own. They were silent for some time, merely enjoying each other's company.

"You know, Spock, I've been thinking..."

Wordlessly, Spock raised an eyebrow. If Dr. McCoy had been present, doubtless he would have made a dry comment insinuating that the mere suggestion of the Captain being able to think was a miracle. However, that observation, although correct, was rather nonsensical, seeing as the Chief Medical Officer was not, in fact, present.

"I mean, if you don't mind, we could pull double shift tomorrow. Together."

Spock suspected there was more to this request than being able to be on the bridge at the same time. "While I am not adverse to your proposition, I am rather curious as to why you are suddenly expressing such work ethic."

"What? Can't I be hardworking?"

There was no point deigning that with an answer, Spock decided. After half a moment, Jim huffed, sending (relatively) cool air across Spock's neck.

"Fine, you caught me. If we pull double shift, that'll leave us free on Sunday."

Even though he did not fully know why, Spock pretended to be ignorant of the significance of the day. His voice was perfectly level and emotionless (as usual) when he said, "Even so, it would entail my rest period being cut short. Even if Vulcan's require less rest than humans, Jim, I should think that you understand my reluctance to comply. I am quite tired."

Jim pulled back, frowning, although their hands remained entwined. Through that contact Spock could feel his confusion, suspicion, then the dawning comprehension and amusement as he accurately perceived the smile in the brown eyes.

"I hate it when you do that."

Again, Spock didn't reply to that lie. Instead he said, "May I enquire as to the plans you have on Sunday that require my presence?"

"Oh, nothing special," Jim said, smiling at him before snuggling against his First Officer's chest. Almost automatically, Spock rested his chin on his blond head, and tightened his hold on his fingers. "I just want to spend time with you."

It was only 1.62 hours later, after a light meal, and while he was in the privacy of the fresher, that Spock allowed himself to smile.

OoOoOoOoOo

Another pair of love-struck ensigns had asked the Captain to marry them, and, bemused, Jim had agreed to do so at the end of his shift.

Spock, now working on a problem regarding the replicators (after several disastrous incidents involving heart-shaped confections – apparently what had resulted was along the lines of cakes with incorporated pieces of cardiac muscle), idly wondered if they knew that Valentine's Day was a day of feast in honour of numerous Christian martyrs named Valentine. It was only later on that the legend of one Saint Valentine was embellished to include his writing a letter to his beloved before his execution.

Apparently the letter had been signed, 'from your Valentine', giving it a 94.6 percent probability of being the origin of the term 'valentines' when referring to the cards lovers exchange. Nyota had stated, rather cynically, that another name for Valentine's Day was 'Singles Awareness Day'. This had only cemented Spock's opinion of it being an illogical holiday. Not only did it cast expectations on both parties in the relationship (usually the male/more dominant), it served to alienate those who did not have partners.

In glancing to his left, Spock managed to catch sight of Chekov quickly stuffing a heart-shaped piece of carbon paper into his pocket. (Of course, by heart-shaped, it did not even resemble the four-chambered hearts humans had, rather the rather simple shape that could be classified along with circles and squares – among Terran children, at any rate.)

Spock allowed himself to watch the young Russian for awhile, fascinated by the blush that had spread behind his ears. (He had not noticed Jim to blush in that area.) If his hypothesis was correct, then he knew who had delivered the crimson coloured valentine. It was obvious that Sulu had left it on Chekov's chair, and that the Russian, having just arrived on the bridge, had found and accepted it.

His eyes were drawn to Jim, as they usually were, and he was treated to a smile. Spock contained a flush of his own, with some difficulty. It was not one of the Captain's usual 'Devil-may-care' grins, as he had heard Dr. McCoy describe them as. No, it was genuine, and beautiful, and intimate, and it made Spock feel like they were the only two on the bridge.

'Illogical,' Spock thought, turning back to the work he was supposed to be attending to. 'Highly illogical.'

But fascinating.

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It was not very often that they woke up together. For one, they did not regularly fall asleep together, in the same bed, seeing as they sometimes had different shifts ending at different times. There was also the fact that either of them could end up in a bed in the Sickbay, in which case the other would be in a chair, keeping vigil. And even if they did fall asleep together, it was not a guarantee that they would wake up at the same time.

It is hardly significant, but Spock had been awake for approximately 0.89 hours before Jim's eyelids fluttered. Seeing as they had no shift today, Spock knew it was illogical to set the lights at 50 percent and simply watch his Captain sleep. He knew this, and did it anyway.

"H'lo, Spock," he said sleepily, holding out his index and middle finger, and smiling in that brilliant way he did.

Spock completed the gesture, and enjoyed the feeling as he ran his fingers along Jim's.

"You have not wished me."

Jim tried and failed to raise a single eyebrow. "I thought you thought Valentine's Day is illogical."

"Have I expressed such a sentiment?"

"...You're _teasing _me." He entwined their fingers.

"I shall neither agree nor disagree." Spock let his gaze trail down Jim's bare arm and his shoulder, and finally rest on his clavicle.

"Well, I did research," Jim announced proudly. "And I found out that a fertility rite called Lupercalia used to be celebrated around this time, and it was abolished as a pagan ritual, replaced by Saint Valentine's Day."

Spock stroked Jim's thumb with his own. "Then you do concede that the fourteenth of February is rather irrationally celebrated."

"Well, I guess. I don't see why I have to confine myself to telling you I love you for just one day."

This time a delicate green flush dusted Spock's cheeks, which made Jim grin. However, the grin left his face when the half-Vulcan abruptly sat up, disrupting their entwined hands. To his confusion, Spock got up off the bed and headed towards his desk.

"Spock, you can't be serious – I really wanted to spend the day without any work, and..." Jim trailed off when Spock turned around and returned to the bed. It dipped slightly as he sat down, his eyes not leaving Jim's face. Meanwhile, Jim pushed himself up into sitting position.

His blue eyes were fixed on the card.

"You...how'd you...?"

Spock's reply was quiet, and he was still holding out the simple white card which had one of those silly red hearts on the front page. "I merely stopped by a bookstore while the ship was undergoing maintenance on Earth."

"But, that...that was a month ago!" Jim's expression was somewhat gratifying to Spock, as was the reverence with which he treated the card as he finally accepted it.

"Five weeks and two days. There was very little selection, as a result. I apologise."

"Don't," Jim whispered. He was silent as he read the short, penned note Spock had written with an actual vintage fountain pen he had also purchased at the same bookstore. "You got this, and you've kept it to give to me, even though Valentine's Day is illogical?"

Spock smiled his not-smile. "That is an accurate summation." He gave into temptation and cupped Jim's cheek.

His Captain kissed his palm, and placed the card on the bedside table. Then he leaned forwards, slowly and deliberately placing a kiss on Spock's lips, one the half-Vulcan saw no reason to withhold.

"So let me give you your present."

And as Jim pulled Spock down onto the bed, we pan out, and manage to catch sight of the card. It was slightly open, and Spock's precise handwriting can be read in the lower corner.

_From your valentine._

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I'm sure there's a collective "Aww" right about there. They're just so cute. And I just had to put a little Chekov/Sulu there, yes.

The Valentine's Day origins are wrangled from Wikipedia, and some other 'information' came from My Head. I do hope you guys enjoyed it, at least as much as I did writing it. Review! Tell me how I did; I'm rather worried about my Spock, I think I made him too repressed at the beginning. Did I?

Alien.


End file.
